Episode
How a Ketogenic Diet Helped Shannon Harwood Heal Bipolar II
- Podcast
- Beyond Binge Eating
- Published
- Jul 17, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 2692
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- http://www.BeyondBingeEating.com
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/beyond-binge-eating-7099183/episodes/how-a-ketogenic-diet-helped-shannon-harwood-heal-bipolar-ii/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/beyond-binge-eating-7099183/how-a-ketogenic-diet-helped-shannon-harwood-heal-bipolar-ii.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
In this episode, I sit down with Shannon Harwood—recovery keto coach, mental health advocate, and Metabolic Mind Award recipient—to explore her extraordinary journey of healing from 35 years of bipolar disorder and food addiction through a therapeutic ketogenic lifestyle. Shannon shares how going beyond surface-level nutrition and embracing true metabolic healing helped her achieve complete remission from bipolar disorder, end a lifelong struggle with sugar and carbohydrate addiction, and finally experience peace around food. Her story challenges conventional thinking around mental health, addiction, and what’s possible in recovery. Here’s what we cover in this powerful conversation: • Shannon’s 35-year journey with bipolar II disorder—and how keto transformed her mental health when nothing else worked. • Why abstinence from refined carbs and sugar was the turning point in healing her relationship with food. • The role of metabolic psychiatry in reshaping mental health treatment and recovery from compulsive behaviors. • How radical honesty, curiosity, and even joy can be part of the healing journey—and why “the power of the ridiculous” matters. If you’re ready to move beyond addiction cycles and cultivate lasting joy and freedom, Mary’s story and strategies offer powerful guidance and hope. 00:00 – Intro 02:34 – Shannon’s background story 04:05 - Discovering the ketogenic diet for mental health 05:08 - How keto helped heal her relationship with food and addiction 07:42 - Challenges of abstinence vs. moderation with sugar and carbs 10:58 - Why total carb abstinence worked when sugar alone didn’t 15:38 - The role of refined carbs in cravings and addiction 17:50 - The intersection of binge eating and food addiction 23:00 - labels versus self selected strategies 25:08 - Di…